Civil Society Activist Slams NPP Government Over Delay in Arresting Pardoned Monk After Supreme Court Ruling

Prominent civil society activist Gamini Viyangoda has sharply criticised the National People's Power (NPP) government, accusing it of deliberately dragging its feet following a Supreme Court decision to cancel the presidential pardon granted to Galagodaaththe Gnanasara Thero, the General Secretary of the Bodu Bala Sena.

Court of Appeal Steps In

The Court of Appeal has taken decisive action by issuing a warrant for the arrest of the controversial Buddhist monk, a move that came after mounting frustration over the government's apparent inaction in the wake of the Supreme Court's ruling.

Viyangoda, speaking on Monday, made his remarks publicly, pointing to what he described as an uncomfortable degree of leniency being shown toward Gnanasara Thero by the current administration — leniency he believes would not have been extended to an ordinary citizen in similar circumstances.

Activist Accuses Government of Double Standards

The veteran activist argued that the NPP government, which came to power on a platform of accountability, good governance, and equal treatment under the law, was falling short of its own stated principles by allowing time to pass without enforcing the Supreme Court's decision promptly.

Viyangoda stressed that the cancellation of a presidential pardon by the highest court in the land was an extraordinary legal development that demanded swift executive response. He questioned why the authorities had not moved immediately to take the monk back into custody, suggesting that political considerations may have influenced the pace of action.

Background to the Legal Dispute

Gnanasara Thero had previously been serving a prison sentence before receiving a presidential pardon, which critics had already condemned as inappropriate given the monk's track record of inflammatory public conduct. The Supreme Court's decision to annul that pardon reignited public debate over the rule of law and whether religious or political affiliations shield certain individuals from equal justice in Sri Lanka.

The monk has been a polarising figure in Sri Lankan public life for years, frequently linked to hardline nationalist rhetoric and having faced prior legal consequences for his behaviour in and outside court premises.

Calls for Equal Application of Justice

Civil society voices joining Viyangoda's concern have emphasised that the credibility of the NPP administration rests heavily on its willingness to enforce court orders without fear or favour. With the Court of Appeal arrest warrant now issued, pressure is mounting on law enforcement agencies to act without further delay.

The episode has drawn renewed attention to longstanding questions about the intersection of religion, politics, and the legal system in Sri Lanka — and whether justice can be applied uniformly regardless of who stands before the courts.